With the looming CAFE fuel economy standards, just about every automaker out there is pushing hard to migrate from larger displacement engines to engines with a smaller displacement, typically using a turbocharger to get the same sort of power output. The benefit of this is that it allows drivers to have the same performance with improved fuel economy.

One of the most successful automakers at making this transition away from higher displacement engines has been Ford with its line of EcoBoost power plants. Detroit News reports that Ford is projecting an increase in sales for vehicles using four-cylinder engines and that by 2020 66% of all new vehicles will use smaller displacement four-cylinder engines.

"I think it's maybe a stretch. But I don't find it implausible," said Bill Visnic, senior editor at the car research site Edmunds.com, in a telephone interview. "If you look at where things have been going segment by segment, except pickups, you could say that's been the trend."

In 2008, only 40% of new vehicles sold used four-cylinder engines compared to 53% today. Currently, the majority of small and medium-size cars on the automotive market come standard with a four-cylinder engine. Most compact SUVs also come standard with four-cylinder engine. Full-size pickups and full-size SUVs currently come with six and eight-cylinder engine options. In 2012, sales of pickup trucks accounted for 13% of all new market sales.

Mike Osmotoso of LMC Automotive notes that to achieve that 66% goal, "[Ford would be] expecting pickups and full-size SUVs to virtually disappear."

Agreed. Not only that, but the drivers also have a higher level of driving certification (CDL) for operating towed loads.

Your average weekend warrior has no idea how to tow things safely. Good engineering can never overcome stupidity.

We can argue this all day long, but some physics can't be ignored. A heavier vehicle will be safer when towing anything. With a lot of good engineering, the risk can be reduced. But I guarantee that if manufacturers reduced truck weight, you'd also see a reduction in tow capacity. I have no issue with that, since 90% of trucks never tow a single thing in their lives. But I hope this doesn't come at the expense of still having trucks in the line up that can handle heavier loads.

You are absolutely right. Most people don't understand load balancing but you can't really blame them. Towing every weekend is vastly overstating its use. Almost every truck owner I know tow maybe once a year for moving or camping.

A heavier vehicle is safer definitely. The point is that manufacturers and people have realized that they don't need all this towing capabilities for a regular F150. The demand for better fuel economy and every day practicality is higher than towing capability. So why not sacrifice some of that towing capability to save fuel and road wear?

After sitting in the new trucks, I realized that trucks are designed more towards comfort and convenience than being just a truck. It's just transforming more towards a car. Almost all SUV have lost their off road capability also.

Try spending 12 hours in one of those things. Why do you think they have sleeper cabs?

And at nearly the cost of a house, it'd be a REALLY expensive way for just hauling the kids around and groceries for your home. It isn't that it CAN'T do that. But it would be one heck of an expensive (and not very fast way) of doing it.

And if you don't think that pickups are built/designed around hauling loads, you're sorely mistaken.

Curb weight of a 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 2WD with the 5.3L V8 is 5042 lbs. GVWR is 7200 lbs. GCWR with a 3.73 Rear Axle is 16700 lbs. and has a published max. conventional trailering with the 3.73 rear axle of 11200 lbs.

DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed here are solely that of my own and are not representative of Ford Motor Company or its affiliates.